


the queen and the pirate

by sweetgoodgraciousangel



Category: Original Work
Genre: Multi, and said fairytale is angry, fairytale becomes real
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 11:25:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14851848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetgoodgraciousangel/pseuds/sweetgoodgraciousangel
Summary: On their way home from a journey across the seas, Viola and her friends encounter a rather wild detour. A ghostly pirate demands their aid after seizing their ship, and his anger will not be settled until he has what was stolen from him.





	the queen and the pirate

“Viola, you’re still awake?’

The voice startled Viola. Turning her head quickly, she met Zachary’s gaze with wide eyes. Her hands had nearly dropped the cup of tea she’d been occasionally sipping out of, though it’d stopped steaming long ago, and the cooled sugary drink wasn’t nearly as good as it had been when she first brewed it. Simply holding it in her hands brought her comfort, mimicking the feeling of being at home. After being away for so long, there were certain types of fatigue she didn’t know it was possible to feel: such as the persistent craving to smell the familiar scent of the outside when she stood out on her balcony, just like this, with a cup of tea in her hands.

She sighed, though let a small smile rise on her lips.

“Aren’t you as well?”

He gave an acknowledging shrug, stepping forward and sitting in the seat next to her. Outside of the boat’s warm interior, the cold sea breeze brushed their cheeks and tinged them red, skin cold to the touch but glowing with life.

Viola could stay like this for hours, beneath the moon, soothed by the waves that rocked their boat gently. Their journey across the sea hadn’t been a quick one; in fact, she’d put it around almost a month since they’ve departed. But now that they’ve finished the business they came for, it was long overdue that they should return home. The extent of her ability to think about doing anything else was worn thin and her body ached at the thought of a detour.

Her friends and sister hadn’t meant to come with her since she’d originally planned to brave it on her own, but they insisted that she not endure the expedition by herself. She was grateful for their consideration, and also thankful that the boat she’d made arrangements with was big enough for the four of them.

Icarus and Charlotte were inside, both of them long ago retired to their shared bed. Viola tried to sleep for a while but found herself to be restless, needing to see the moon to kill that last bit of energy inside of her. Zachary must have followed suit.

“Ah, did you get everything you needed by the way? I never asked…”

Viola nodded. Specifically their voyage across the seas had been to visit a town deep within a forest of plenty. Oakhaven was thick and rich with potion ingredients, and thus if Viola wanted to expand her shop like she planned, she’d have to visit there and consult with the local witches for recipes and recommended ingredients. The magicfolk there were as kind as ever, welcoming her with open arms and showing her the friendliness of the local fairies that inhabited the denser parts of the greenery. With their help, Viola was set possibly for years; now not only could she expand her selection, but the amount she could make at one time.

But like any person, after an extended amount of time of constantly being busy and interacting with someone, she was exhausted of it. She may have been unable to sleep from lack of choice to expend the energy she still had in her and hoped a hot drink would have helped.

Her eyelids felt heavier, and her ability to hold up a conversation scarce.

“Lovely bunch over there, weren’t they?” Viola said, a smile on her lips. Truly, the unrelentless kindness of the people they met were inspirational. All of them were so connected with their environment, and it shined through on their faces quite well.

“Definitely! That one nice lady that let us stay with her so we didn’t have to sleep on the boat… Ah, what was her name?”

“Juliet. I promised her I’d keep in contact with the progress of how things were going. Not to mention that in exchange she keep me updated on herself and Oakhaven.”

And through their venture beyond their home they had made quite a few friends who would surely be their allies in times of need, as they would be to them. Viola wasn’t quite so sure why in the past she’d been so unwilling to go out of her way and travel. It could be because she was wrapped up in what she thought was peace and quiet back at home, but slowly over the recent years she’s been proving herself wrong on some of the things she’d been so stubborn over.

It wouldn’t hurt next time for them venture beyond the point of Oakhaven. If she’s correct, there’s also Autumere somewhere around that area, and some mountains that if people were daring enough, they could climb and reach a city in the sky. It was no secret that angels roamed this place and flew freely, but they apparently did make it quite hard for those without wings carrying them to reach where a good majority of them lived. She can’t quite think of the name of that city though, despite the many times it was mentioned.

“It was such a beautiful place too. All the scenery… it felt like I could see almost every color in the world there.” Zachary yawned stretching his arms over his head. Viola chuckled, then rose to her feet, setting aside the tea cup. She’d clean that up later. Besides, Zachary had the right idea. It was beginning to be too much of a struggle to keep talking. It might be best if they both went to bed.

“Are you going to stay out here?” Viola asked. Zachary nodded.

“Yeah, for a little bit. I’ll be in soon. Ah, weren’t you going to check the boxes with all your stuff in it before you went to bed?”

Viola took one long last look at the twinkling stars above them. Out on the sea, they looked amazing, and the water reflected them like a perfect mirror. The thought never crossed her mind that it would ever be possible for the same stars she gazed upon at home would look somehow more mesmerizing somewhere else.

“I did earlier, but it never hurts to check again. I don’t want any of them coming undone.”

“Understandable. Well then, if you’re heading off to bed, good night!”

“Good night, Zachary.”

Viola turned toward the door that Zachary had come through minutes before and pulled it open, stepping inside, light from the moon outside cascading softly through the windows, illuminating the small but comfortable living space the boat had to offer. They had a place to cook, store their food, and rest at the very least, which was most important. Viola didn’t think about how big it would have felt if she traveled alone, but at the time it didn’t dawn upon her that she would have been incredibly lonely. She had not only her friends and her sister to keep her company, but also the sounds of the waves and wildlife outside living freely. It was almost as if everything was the perfect image of how she would like to live out her days; with people she felt closest to, and new things to be found on the horizon.

She quietly lifted the panel on the floor with all of her potion ingredients she collected, examining them carefully. The ingredients ranged from everything she could have hoped for, from pressed wildflowers to rare gemstones that could have a shift to the power that each potion held. Not to mention plenty of different powders that came from plants she’d never heard of before, and a plethora of berries that were ground into a smooth jelly. She decided to keep the potion recipes given to her safe by tucking them inside her spell book, which was put away inside of her traveling bag she could toss on her shoulder when she was out and about.

Viola yawned, then closed the panel, making sure it was sealed tightly before standing, hearing her bones crack with the movement. She could positively collapse now that she had that small period of star gazing outside, for it did wonders to ease the restlessness she felt.

It was short-lived though.

A gasp caught in her throat as the boat jolted rather abruptly, like something sharp had struck its side. There was a loud _boom_ in the distance, and she stumbled forward, surprised by the sudden movement. It wasn’t unusual for the boat to hit a little bit of a rough wave every now and then, but that movement just now felt unnatural and so much more than a simple wave should be capable of. Especially when it wasn’t showing any signs of rain. The skies were clear and void of any clouds.

At that moment, Zachary came stumbling inside the door. He was drenched in water and clutching his staff in his hand like his life depended upon it. He no longer looked as tired as he did before.

“Y-You gotta wake up Icarus and Charlotte, I-I think someone’s attacking the boat!”

“Bloody hell, don’t worry about that. We nearly got thrown out of bed just now.”

Her sister’s familiar voice called out, cranky and not at all awake. The couple came through the opening where the beds were tucked away in the back of the boat, both looking groggy and unaware of what was truly going on. Charlotte clumsily put her glasses on, slipping them on upside down at first then completely missed her face the second. Icarus was already gripping onto their own sword, ready to take to defending the boat at any second.

“Why would there be someone attacking the boat?” Icarus asked, sleepiness lurking in their tone.

“Who knows! There was a loud noise, a flash of light, and then the boat nearly just tipped!”

As if hearing him, once more, the loud noise they’d heard before sounded once more, and again the boat was jolted abruptly. Viola gripped onto whatever she could to prevent herself from falling over while the rest yelped. There was no mistaking it now if there was a follow-up to the previous disruption: someone HAD to be attacking the boat. But why in the world would some other random be opening fire on them? They had no way of defense, much less they didn’t even look threatening! It was a simple boat meant for travel. They had no cannons or weapons to aim and shoot for distance. And as thoughtful as it was of Icarus to be preparing to fight, a sword was _not_ going to come in handy when there could be miles of space between them and the other boat.

“What - What should we do?” Zachary asked.

Viola shook her head, thoughts quickly becoming a jumble. This isn’t something she prepared for in advance. Why would she count on _any_ of this? Though in hindsight, it’s probably safer than sorry, but still. Nothing indicated she would have had to deal with this.

“Where is the other boat, anyway?”

At that, they all turned their heads to the windows. Approaching them cautiously, leaning against them out to view the dark waters. When Viola and Zachary peered closer, they could see nothing but the vast expanse of the sea. At least, not in the direction they were looking. Across from her, where Charlotte and Icarus were looking however…

“Blimey! What in the name of nightmares is THAT?!”

Turning their heads at Icarus’ cry, they rushed over to the opposite window. There, in the distance, they saw it.

The large ship looked menacing, with cannons galore scattered around every corner you looked. From above hung a familiar flag, high in the sky and waving with pride, a skull and crossbones decorating it.

“Pirate ship.” Viola said, her heart sinking. Blasted fiends. “It’s a bloody pirate ship. Good grief, when was the last time anyone has seen anything from these low-lifes?”

“Seems like _ages_ ago…” Charlotte mumbled, then backed away from the window. Icarus couldn’t seem to tear their eyes away from it. There was no telling what kind of people were on the ship; pirates could be human, or magicfolk, and in all honesty, either could be just as scary once mixed in with their crooked lifestyles. If they were lucky, they might see that their ship had nothing aboard to steal; they may find Viola’s potion ingredients, but what would they do with things like common herbs and flowers? Sell them? No one in their right minds would buy something as easy to find as those if they were to go further up the seas a little more.

“Is…” Icarus finally said, hesitating. “Is that ship… _glowing_ to anyone else?”

Viola raised an eyebrow at them, then turned back to the window a second time. After narrowing her eyes, she shivered.

“What in the… What the hell is going on? It is!” Zachary exclaimed, palms flat against the window, lost in his amazement amongst the fear.

“I...It doesn’t seem right. Something doesn’t… feel right…” Icarus mumbled, backing away from the window, hands rubbing at their own arms. Viola finally stepped away, Zachary following suit. They all stared at Icarus, waiting for an explanation, but Charlotte merely let out a frustrated huff and gently let her fingers rest on Icarus’ shoulder.

“They’re sensitive to the paranormal, aren’t they? Which means…”

Silence passed between them for a moment as they let that sink in. It wouldn’t have been the first thing that they would have thought of, but it _would_ make sense. Pirates were a thing of the past, so if you add the glowing aspects and the haunting feeling it was giving Icarus…

It all hit them at once. Viola couldn’t believe it, but the words spilled out of her mouth without hesitation anyway.

“A phantom ship…”

Unrealistic, but not anymore unrealistic than the idea that a random pirate ship would be attacking them. In fact, it almost made _more_ sense that it was a phantom ship rather than a real one. Perhaps they’d done something that the spirits aboard hadn’t liked. They could be passing through an area that they once ruled in their living days. Or, perhaps, even in their afterlife, they missed plundering treasure and wanted to relive that thrill. Either way, Viola was not about to allow them to go through any of that with them.

 _Pick on someone your own size, won’t you?_ She thought bitterly.

The ship was approaching at a faster pace, and once more a cannon fired. By the sheer chance of luck did it skim the front of the boat, rather than hitting, sending another vicious wave to crash against the side instead. Having had just about enough of the foolery, Viola snatched her staff sitting just by the door where they could exit to outside and bravely pushed it open, letting the air welcome them once more. This is the _last_ thing she was going to let happen on their voyage home. How well did magic work against ghosts? Well… she was about to find out.

The rest cautiously followed her. There was no telling what they may find, but the ship was just about directly beside their own now. The cannon’s didn’t look as if they may set off again, but Viola was ready to cast the biggest barrier spell in her life if they did. From this up-close range, no doubt they’d have the luck like they did before when they all missed. Viola didn’t care what the threats were, because she was not about to let any of them get hurt because of some pissy poltergeists. The phantom ship compared to theirs was massive, in both fire power and size.

“Avast, you thieving lot! Prepare for the nastiest vengeance you’ve ever had to face before in your puny lives!”

The deep voice echoed as it called out to them from the other ship. Bracing themselves, they watched as a translucent man came to the edge of the deck, staring down at them with the angriest gaze they’d encountered. He took a step back and made a hearty leap forward, and then they were all stumbling back as he landed on their deck with a loud _thump_ , a wicked grin on his face. He had stark white hair and naturally piercing silver eyes, clothed in classic pirate garb from head to toe.

Icarus let out a shaking shriek, hand automatically going to their sword again. Viola knew that Icarus had sensitivity to things like the dead and paranormal, but actually seeing them face it… she never realized how bothered they were by it. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what sensations they may be feeling right now.

They would have to handle this the best they could.

“For the love of all that’s good, did you just call _us_ thieves?” Viola snapped. “A load of hypocrisy if I’ve ever heard any.”

“You’d best watch your tongue, girl, before I have it for myself.” The pirate snapped, leaning down, towering over her. Viola did not budge, but gripped her staff tighter. She wouldn’t be intimidated into submission. Zachary stepped forward and glared, doing the same as Viola. Upon seeing the group not withering to their knees before his terror, he let out gruff laughter, then reached up to fiddle with his hat.

“What a bunch of buffoons you are! First you have the nerve to steal what belongs to my Queen, then you stick your chin up in the face of the one who’d have no mercy taking your lives!”

“Steal what belongs to your Queen? _What_ Queen? What did we steal?” Zachary said, confusion leaking into his tone. None of them had a clue what he was going on about, and that only angered him more.

“Grr, the _cheek_ of you! To pretend you didn’t just fish my chest out of the sea and shove it on your boat! Selfish lot!”

The pirate put his hand on his own sword. There was still no telling if he was a witch like them, but once he pulled the blade, Icarus did the same. They stepped forward, pointing it at the phantom while the rest readied themselves for anything. Likewise, it may not be _efficient_ to hit a ghost with a sword, but there was always applause in trying.

“You can check our boat!” Charlotte exclaimed. “We didn’t pull anything out of the ocean! We swear by it, you scoundrel!”

The pirate laughed once more. As much as Viola disliked the idea of allowing him inside, perhaps if the ghost saw that what he had stolen from him was in fact not on their boat, he’d leave them alone. It was better than violence. Viola was entirely certain they didn’t fish anything out of the ocean except for maybe the occasional flounder for dinner, but still. They didn’t steal anything like a Queen’s treasure. And _who_ was this Queen, anyway? She hadn’t heard of royalty around these parts anywhere.

Viola stepped back and jerked the door open, still glaring at him all the while.

“Take a look, then leave us alone. We have a long trip to make to get ourselves home.”

“Cease your sniveling. Should I find my beloved’s treasure in here, you’re the first of the lives I’ll take on board. Where is your Captain?”

Viola blinked, then tilted her head. She supposed he was right in his immediate assumption, but this was not the case. Most boats did have a Captain of some sort steering the ship, but the boat she rented was specifically designed to be led by magic. The sails pulled them in the direction of their destination after a good helping of their power, and could be stopped or changed at any time.

“If you’re looking for a Captain, then I’m who you want.” Viola said. “And should you find anything to be angry over, then take it out on me. Not my crew.”

“Bahaha! I’ll take my anger out on anyone I’d like, lass. Now then…”

He practically shoved her aside and walked inside. Viola closed her eyes upon hearing the first thing crash to the ground. He’d likely tear the place upside down and the mess to clean up afterward would be gruesome, but it would all be worth it just as long as no harm came to anyone. Zachary stepped forward, as if planning to interrupt him, but Viola shook her head.

“Don’t. Just let him.”

“What…?! But Viola, what if he decides to steal all the things you collected!”

“Then we let him. It’s not worth putting up a fight over.”

It truly wasn’t. And yes, it did hurt to think they’d come all this way just to lose everything they collected, but no one had to be injured over it. Viola winced as she heard more things being knocked over, Icarus sheathing their sword once more. Charlotte looked ready to tear the phantom pirate apart, which was understandable, but they did not need to risk anything. They all stood patiently, waiting for him to discover that they were in fact telling the truth and that, despite what he may want to claim, they were innocent of all accusations. Icarus was still slightly trembling. Being this close to a ghost had to be excruciating for them, every so often closing their eyes and clenching their hand into a fist. Charlotte kept offering them small, reassuring gestures like running a hand down their arm or pressing her side to theirs. It was obvious that they greatly appreciated the distraction, giving her a small smile after each one.

“Where are you lily-livered crooks hiding it?! Where is the chest?!”

“If you _haven’t_ figured it out yet,” Charlotte said as the pirate stomped back outside, “we don’t have it, you _bloke_. Maybe you should learn not to accuse every single person you come across.”

“Silence! Perhaps you didn’t steal the treasure, but I, Cedric, King of these seas, will still have no useless blathering from a pitiful lamb like you!”

“Cedric?” Zachary said allowed. All of their eyes shot to him, seeing his expression frozen and stilled. The pirate - Cedric - laughed once more.

“Bahaha! Heard of the name before, have you? You don’t earn the name King of the Seas for nothing!”

Zachary still didn’t speak, but shook his head. At that, Cedric growled.

“You’d best learn now then. I will not rest until I catch the thieves that stole my beloved’s treasure. And I say that you four will help or else.”

They all gasped. The audacity of this man! Viola felt her anger boil within her, getting fiercer by the second. He’d seen it for himself that they didn’t have the treasure he was looking for, but now he was making the demand that they all look for it for him.

“For the love of - we don’t have your garbage! Get off our boat!” Charlotte hissed. Cedric snapped his head in her direction, stepping toward her with a irate expression on his face. Charlotte, with no hesitation and bold as she ever has been, let him get in her face. She merely glared back until Icarus stepped forward, sword pulled once more.

“You’d do best to not lay a hand on her.” They snapped.

Once Cedric was a decent distance away from Charlotte, he paused, then stared the group down with a gaze of strong judgement. He could see they all meant business, not at all too cowardice to face the standards that he seemingly held himself to.

“Fine then. Shall you be as brave as fools, then I’ll propose something else. Get back the treasure that was stolen from me or else I’ll sink all of you and your ship to the bottom of the sea, and every single other ship that passes through here.”

“Why?” Viola asked. “Why is it _our_ responsibility to find _your_ things? Listen, I deeply apologize that you had something important stolen from you, but we’re just innocent bystanders. Why is it fair to us that we do your bidding?”

“I’d save your cries of wrongdoing. You look grown enough to know that life isn’t always fair.”

This wasn’t worth wasting breath. It wasn’t worth her and her friends’ lives either. If he wanted that damn chest so badly, then instead of putting up a fight, they might as well just make the side trip and find out who did and see if it was possible to haul it back here. Just as long as she could make this bastard eat his own words if he had to deal with the possibility he couldn’t get it back. _Life isn’t always fair_ , after all.

“Fine.”

Charlotte looked at Viola, eyes wide. “Viola, you can’t be serious!”

Viola shrugged, crossing her arms. Cedric looked smug, happy to finally get his way. Why, if he weren’t dead now, then after she was done with him he definitely would be. It was one thing to be angry over having something important taken from you, but it was an entire other thing to blame a group of people you don’t know, almost sink their ship, wreck the inside of said ship, and then demand that they go looking for it for you. Pirates were never portrayed with manners, she supposed. And yet Cedric expected them all to believe that this treasure stolen from him was for a Queen? And what Queen would ever want to waste her time on him?

“Let’s just find the cursed treasure and get home. I’d like to open shop again by next month at least.” She grumbled out. “Well then, _Captain Cedric_. You had to see a boat haul your treasure out of the water to kick up this kind of tantrum. What did it look like? Where did it go?”

Cedric hummed, pinching the brim of his hat between his fingers.

“It came the direction you troublemakers did. Ay, in fact, it would be sailing East then. The fiend’s boat who has my treasure was similar to yours, and I mistook yours for the one I was searching for.”

“So you saw two boats, didn’t know which one had your treasure, and then started blasting your cannons on ours either way?” Zachary said, harshly tapping the end of his staff on the deck. “Why, I’ve _never…_ ”

“Silence! Now, to where they’re heading with my treasure, I’m not sure, but I’ll be first to skin them should they do anything to destroy it. The chest is ornate, so no doubt they want to pry it open to see what’s inside.”

“If it was something valuable, I highly doubt they’d do anything to smash it. They might try to pawn it off on some unknowing person though.” Viola said, much to Cedric’s displeasure. The mere thought of this treasure going any farther without it being in his hands seemed to irk him the most. Where could they be heading with that treasure? Hell, what was the treasure itself? She felt tempted to express these verbally, but Viola believed it to be wise to keep the curiosity to herself.

“To the East of here… that would put us around Glaciri, wouldn’t it?” Icarus remarked.

“How long will it take us to get there if we change course now?” Viola wondered.

“Probably by morning. I don’t think it’s far from the coast of Oakhaven, and we’ve only departed a few hours ago.” Zachary said.

“Then let’s change course now. Let’s just hope our friends who stole this treasure aren’t too attached to it yet.”

At that, Viola raised her staff toward the sails in the sky and with minimal effort turned them to face the direction she desired. Before the boat began to pull in a different direction, Viola looked at Cedric with distaste. He stood, watching her, not at all fazed by her magic. It was yet to be clear if Cedric was still simply human or if he was also apart of the magicfolk when he was alive, but clearly he’s had contact with magic before if he’s not amazed by hers.

“You’re going to stay on this boat?”

“Ay. My shipmates on board will watch my own while I travel. Don’t think I don’t plan to keep a close eye on you all, lass.” He leered, and Viola scoffed, rolling her eyes. She’d never been to Glaciri before, and hadn’t the slightest clue of what she was looking for beside’s an ornate treasure chest, but didn’t bother to press the issue. She’d ask when they got there. The less talking she did with him, the better she would feel.

“Haha, okay, great! Viola, come here for a second.”

Zachary grabbed her wrist and tugged her inside of the door. Icarus and Charlotte had already situated themselves on some of the very few seats that weren’t knocked over, and Viola winced. The place was a worse wreck than she was anticipating. She had half a mind to march out there and make the ghostly asshole himself clean it all up while she scowled at him, but decided not to stir up any unnecessary trouble. It would give them all something to do as they waited for this detour to be over. Thankfully, the panel seemed untouched. Even if she was fine losing the ingredients, she supposed she was still happy that they weren’t scattered among the wreckage that was now their living space.

“What did you want to tell us, Zachary? Do you really know him?” Icarus asked. Zachary shook his head, though kept his eyes to the floor and very slowly took a seat of his own. Viola followed suit, careful not to sit on anything that was broken.

“No, not at all. In fact, I’m surprised you all don’t recognize the name too.”

“Hm? How do you mean?” Viola asked.

“When I was young, it was a story my Auntie used to tell me before I went to bed. ‘The Pirate and the Queen’. Has no one ever truly told _any_ of you that fairytale?”

Viola watched as her sister quietly mumbled _no_ , Icarus following suit. Viola couldn’t say she recalled if someone had. It might have happened too long ago.

Zachary let his shoulders relax and a calmer appearance flooded his expression. She isn’t surprised that he looked stressed; hell, the four of them should be now. Almost having their ship sunk by some bloodthirsty pirate who insists that they get back the treasure that was stolen for him. The thought left a bitter mindset in her head, but despite every part of this being irrational, she knew it was no used to try and fight against it. Cedric had made it clear of what he would do if they weren’t careful, and they simply couldn’t just leave their boat behind. It wasn’t even Viola’s to begin with, and she couldn’t be sure if the person she borrowed it from would be pleased to hear the reason they no longer had their boat was because of some phantom pirate threatening to sink it in the middle of the sea.

Sometimes, Viola just wanted to take a long, long nap.

“It wouldn’t hurt to retell it then. Fair warning, I don’t think I’m that great of a storyteller like my Auntie…”

He cleared his throat, then closed his eyes.

“Once, a long time ago, there was a fair young Queen. She grew up to be one of the most influential and powerful Queens her kingdom had ever seen. When the Queen was young, she met a boy from another kingdom that aspired to be one of the most ruthless pirates the seas had ever faced, and soon the two fell in love with one another. Knowing that her love with a pirate would be forbidden, the Queen and the pirate met privately every day where no one would catch them. When they were both grown up, and the Queen knew war among neighboring kingdoms was nigh, she asked the pirate to retrieve a treasure for her across the seas. When he returned, they would be married, thus making the pirate a King.”

“Jeez… a classic forbidden love story.” Charlotte said. “But what does this have to do with - “

“Let me finish.” Zachary grumbled out. Charlotte motioned for him to continue.

“The common ending for the tale - mainly tailored for children’s appeal - is that the pirate faced an awful amount of trials and overcame them purely with the strength that his love for the Queen gave him to retrieve her treasure and made it back home to marry her, becoming a rich and kind King instead of a pirate. But that’s not the truth. This story is actually based off something that really happened.”

Viola’s interest was caught then, leaning closer to listen to him. “Really?”

“Mhm! The Queen in the story is supposed to be Queen Regina the Third, Queen of an old kingdom named Celestvia that eventually withered out almost thousands of years ago at this point. And the pirate’s name… her lover…”

“Cedric?” Icarus asked.

“Yes. Or more commonly known as Cedric, the King of the seas. He may have been young, but he was no coward when it came to being a ruthless pirate. And Cedric’s love for the Queen knew no bounds. It’s true, Regina did send Cedric out to retrieve a treasure for her, but he never made it back home. He died in a violent sea storm, and the treasure he had for her sunk and was lost among the violent waves. It was some sort of a cryptid legend, that you could still see him searching for the treasure so he could bring it back to the Queen, but I suppose eventually even nonsense can become reality.”

A fairytale becoming a living reality really wasn’t the biggest of their concerns. What really had Viola’s curiosity was what Cedric’s plans were. Even if he finally got his treasure back, what did he plan to _do_ with it? Surely he _must_ know that he’s dead, and surely he _must_ known that his beloved Queen was also dead. Magicfolk may live longer than humans, but even they couldn’t live thousands of years.

“Does… Cedric know he’s a ghost?” Viola finally asked, cautious. “He acts as if it’s still possible to see Regina.”

“Is... is it?”

“Celestvia is centuries old. Queen Regina perished in her old age, but was the only Queen who never married. There were plenty who offered to take her hand, but she refused all of them. When Cedric departed to retrieve the treasure, it was the same time that war broke out between hers and another Kingdom. She’s most noteworthy for putting on a suit of armor and fighting with her people, winning the war with fierce strategy. Her enemies regarded her as the Queen of Hell.”

“With a title like that, I’d beg to reason that no one fought against her again.” Charlotte leaned back in her chair and stared out the window, blatantly trying to distract herself from the situation. No one moved to clean up the mess immediately, having been baffled by the intensity of it. For as quickly as the room was destroyed, it would take hours to fix. Minus the things that were unfixable. Viola winced at all the little glass shards on the floor.

“They didn’t, but overtime her Kingdom, like most others, faded away. A sad fate, really.”

Tension still ran strongly in the air. None of them were all too happy about the detour, but what had to be done had to be done.

Still, they were going to have to find a way to break it to their dear ghostly friend that his Queen was dead.

**Author's Note:**

> hjklmnbvcdsfhnkasjdf its Bad sorry sorry i edited it as much as i could :')


End file.
